Empowered Health: Trying to slim down? Here are the 25 best overall diets

Juanita Ng, Vancouver Sun01.07.2013

U.S. News enlisted health experts to determine the top 25 diets, rating them on ease of use, safety, nutrition, and effectiveness for weight loss and against diabetes and heart disease.'
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24. Paleo Diet: U.S. News says experts took issue with the diet on every measure. Regardless of the goal—weight loss, heart health, or finding a diet that’s easy to follow—most experts concluded that it would be better for dieters to look elsewhere. ‘A true Paleo diet might be a great option: very lean, pure meats, lots of wild plants,’ said one expert—quickly adding, however, that duplicating such a regimen in modern times would be difficult.'
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24. Dukan Diet: The protein-based Dukan Diet got dismal ratings in nearly every category. Its overall score was more than a full star below average. One expert described the diet as “idiotic.”'
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22. Atkins Diet: ‘Many of our experts found the popular low-carb Atkins diet leaves much to be desired, at least as an all-purpose diet. Although our expert panel concluded that it could outperform nearly all of its competitors in short-term weight loss, unfavorable marks in other measures—including long-term weight loss, nutrition, safety, and heart health—yanked down Atkins in the standings,’ said U.S. News.'
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20. Medifast Diet: Medifast scored above average in short-term weight loss but had lower marks in most of the other categories.'
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17. Zone Diet: ‘The Zone Diet lagged behind higher-ranked diets, if not always by much, in nearly all ratings categories, including weight loss, how easy it is to follow, and its effect on diabetes and heart health,’ U.S. News found. It’s ‘unnecessary and tedious to structure every meal around specific macronutrient thresholds,’ said one expert.'
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17. Glycemic Index Diet: ‘Experts were less than impressed with the glycemic-index diet, which distinguishes “good” carbs from “bad.” They scored it particularly low on long-term weight loss, heart benefits, and ease of adherence. Although the diet’s ratings in nutrition and safety were relatively strong, they couldn’t push the diet out of the lower third of the pack,’ said U.S. News.'
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17. Eco-Atkins Diet: A ‘healthier version of the Atkins diet, but compliance is likely to be more difficult’ due its restrictive nature and lack of guidance, one expert said.'
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14. Veganism: ‘Overall, the health experts were lukewarm on veganism despite giving it fairly high marks as a diabetes or heart disease diet. It is extremely restrictive, doesn’t offer built-in social support, and may not provide enough of some nutrients,’ said U.S. News.'
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14. South Beach Diet: Following the South Beach Diet can result in rapid weight loss, but followers can find it tough to keep the weight off.'
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14. Abs Diet: Experts say this diet is ‘moderately effective’ for quick weight loss, but dispute the company’s claim that dieters can lose up to 12 pounds of belly fat in two weeks.'
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12. Flat Belly Diet: The Flat Belly diet was in the middle of the list of top diets because its scores in most areas were average. However, it rated high marks for safety and nutrition.'
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11. Slim-Fast Diet: ‘Slim-Fast is a reasonable approach to dieting, experts concluded. It outscored a number of competitors on weight loss and as a diabetes diet, and being highly structured, it’s fairly easy to follow. But it scored lower than many other diets on heart health,’ panelists said.'
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10. Vegetarian Diet: ‘As a health diet, vegetarianism is solid. It’s decent at producing rapid weight loss, according to experts, and is strong in other areas, such as heart health and nutritional completeness, that arguably are more important,’ the panelists found.'
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8. Biggest Loser Diet: The diet received high marks for short-term weight loss and safety, though many of the U.S. News panelists felt it didn’t stand out among the myriad of existing diets. ‘Combining a diet plan with increased activity is the most reliable way to meet weight loss goals,’ says the website.'
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7. Jenny Craig Diet: Jenny Craig rated high because it’s easy to follow, complete and safe. But its cost could be a roadblock, experts said.'
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6. Volumentrics Diet: The Volumetrics Diet focuses on eating foods that are less high in calories while making the dieter feel full. ‘This is an eating plan that everyone can benefit from,’ one expert said.'
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3. Mayo Clinic Diet: This diet earned high ratings from U.S. News’ experts for its nutrition and safety and as a tool against diabetes. ‘The base of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid focuses on generous amounts of healthy foods that contain a small number of calories in a large volume of food, particularly fruits and vegetables,’ says their website.'
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1. DASH Diet: Gets top marks for nutritional completeness, safety, ability to prevent or control diabetes, and role in supporting heart health. The DASH website says: ‘In addition to being a low-salt (or low-sodium) plan, the DASH diet provides additional benefits to reduce blood pressure. It is based on an eating plan rich in fruits and vegetables, and low-fat or non-fat dairy, with whole grains. It is a high fibre, low- to moderate-fat diet, rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.’'
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You’ve likely read about Bill Clinton losing a ton of weight on the South Beach Diet, and Kate Middleton and her mother shedding pounds prior to the Royal Wedding using the Dukan Diet; and a host of other dieting success stories. But how good are these diets, really?

U.S. News enlisted health experts to determine the top 25 diets, rating them on ease of use, safety, nutrition, and effectiveness for weight loss and against diabetes and heart disease. Click here to see the Top 25 best diets.

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Empowered Health: Trying to slim down? Here are the 25 best overall diets

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